This was my first group ride in several years. The lack of hills made it perfect for me and my wife who haven't done much training. It was great seeing all the kids out there. (except when being passed) Satuday's ride was near perfect. Just a small short shower while riding. Did 10 miles more than I had planned or hoped I could do.

We wimped out on Sunday. It rained most of the night and into the morning ride. Since we camped in the same community as our car, it made it easy to pack and head home. We did stop by Stub Stewart State Park for a look. It will be nice having a new state park close by.

John (alias SAG 1), I'm glad you had a good time. We thought the weekend ride was really fun, in spite of the rain on Sunday. We also enjoyed seeing so many families with kids there.

Saturday's 72-mile ride was perfect for us--just challenging enough, but not a struggle. One hill got our attention, but it wasn't bad, and the route was lovely. I loved every mile of it. We encountered only a few sprinkles that day.

We met some new riders at lunch, where we all came together, who were just getting back into cycling after a long hiatus. They were full of enthusiasm about what they might be able to do in the future, if they keep riding. So, if the goal of the Cycle Oregon Weekend Ride was to build enthusiasm for cycling among kids and new riders, I'd say it was a real success!

We donned our full rain gear on Sunday to ride out to Stub Stewart State Park. We suspected that quite a few people might opt out. We saw lots of vehicles (carrying bikes) driving away from camp. Conditions were a bit daunting, if you're not accustomed to riding in rain.

The new park is gorgeous, and the cruise on the newly paved trail out to Buxton was a real treat. The rain did let up, after a while.

We are already making plans for a group from our local club to spend a weekend in Vernonia and ride out to the park for a picnic and exploring.

Sunday's ride was one of the best ever. Thirty two miles and not one car, except for crossing Hwy 47, as I cruised along the trail from Vernonia to Buxton and back. There was only one four mile segment of the trail which was not paved and that was packed gravel, which was an easy ride on my mountain bike. Additionally, since it was along a railroad grade, I was not even aware that I was climbing as I rolled south. All but about 100 yards could have been ridden by the skinny tire set.